'Spartacus' franchise returns over decade later

After an over a decade-long hiatus, the Spartacus franchise is returning, as Starz is set to release Spartacus: House of Asher.

The character is an antagonist in the original series and died in the season two finale. However, in the forthcoming one, he did not, as the series presents an alternate history.

"What if he lived, and the Romans rewarded his treachery with the gladiator school where he once bled? Welcome to the House of Ashur. No longer a slave, Ashur has clawed his way to power, owning the same ludus that once owned him," the show's logline read. 

"But ruling a band of merciless gladiators is child’s play compared to surviving the savage world of Roman politics — a cutthroat game in which betrayal isn’t a sin, it’s currency," it added.

"He flips tradition on its head by unleashing Achillia, a fierce and powerful gladiatrix eager to prove herself worthy in a man’s world. Together, they ignite a new kind of spectacle that shocks, disrupts, and offends the elite with every drop of blood," the synopsis noted.

The upcoming series trailer was released at Comic-Con in San Diego. The show's cast includes Graham McTavish, Jamaica Vaughan, Ivana Baquero, Jordi Webber, Claudia Black, Jaime Slater, India Shaw-Smith, and Leigh Gill.

Steven S. DeKnight serves as showrunner, and Rick Jacobson and Aaron Helbing serve as executive producers.

Spartacus: House of Ashur has no specific release date yet, but it is expected to be out this winter.